Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
UK Certification 12 | UK RRP £29.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 517 minutes
With The Rock returning to the WWE to guest host the showcase of the immortals, would the 27th annual WrestleMania live up to the hype of being presented by the most electrifying man in entertainment? The man himself opened the four-hour event by proclaiming to the world that it would be the greatest and most memorable in history. So did he deliver on his promise? Not exactly. While WrestleMania 27 had its fair share of enjoyable matches, including a true battle for the ages, it also had a few bouts that bombed heavily, and suffered from a lack of not really feeling like a WrestleMania when it was all said and done. Similar to 2010, the show didn't quite deliver as much as we hoped for, which is always disappointing for the biggest show of the year. Still, this three-disc set loaded with supplementary material and exclusive footage is well worth picking up for any die-hard fan.
World Heavyweight Championship: Edge (c) vs. Alberto Del Rio ???
I thought the winner of the Royal Rumble match was granted a title shot of their choosing in the main event of WrestleMania, rather than the opening contest? It was certainly a surprise to see Del Rio and Edge “jerking the curtain” so to speak, and in only a 10-minute match at that. While the challenger's NXT season 4 rookie Brodus Clay stood in his corner alongside his personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez, Christian gave his ringside support to longtime best friend Edge. And of course all three men got involved in the match, with the Rated R Superstar eventually emerging victorious and with the World Title still firmly wrapped around his waist. Going into the show, I expected Del Rio to walk out of WrestleMania with the championship, while John Cena would defeat The Miz to balance things out, but as soon as it was announced that the match was opening the show, it was fairly obvious that Edge was going over. Nevertheless, this was a good match to kick things off and one that became extremely historic just a few weeks later when Edge was forced to retire, making this appearance not only the final pay-per-view match of his career, but his last WrestleMania as a competitor.
Cody Rhodes vs. Rey Mysterio ???
The second big 'Mania surprise of the night came in the form of Rhodes going over Mysterio. I never expected Mr. 619 to be defeated on the grandest stage of them all, but he was. Rhodes looked better than ever in his first match back after taking some time off to sell the “disfigurement” angle, where Mysterio supposedly shattered his face after nailing a 619 with his metal knee brace. These two had a really good match that I enjoyed far more on my second viewing. For some reason, I just felt they didn't click and the fans weren't into it, but clearly I was wrong. As many Superstars said on The True Story of WrestleMania DVD, working in stadiums is very different to arenas in that the reactions from the crowd don't seem as loud because there is so much more open space for the sound to travel.
On a side note, the bell didn't actually ring, ruling this match, technically, as one that never began.
Eight-Man Tag Team Match: The Corre vs. Kane, The Big Show, Santino Marella & Kofi Kingston ?
Of course, two highly enjoyable bouts were followed by absolute dross. What a waste of time. The length it took for all eight Superstars to make their way down the long ramp and to the ring was about five times longer than the actual match, which lasted under two minutes. It all broke down mere seconds after the bell rang with bodies flying everywhere, before Heath Slater, one-half of the Tag Team Champions with Justin Gabriel at the time, was left all alone in the ring to deal with a Cobra from Marella, which lead into the WMD from The World's Largest Athlete for the win.
CM Punk vs. Randy Orton ???
After the short and sour tag match, quality returned to the in-ring action once more with Punk facing off against Orton, a match that had effectively been two-and-a-half years in the making. Both men have great chemistry and it created a memorable bout that was on the “right side” of three stars. I enjoyed the build up for this much like I do most feuds where Punk is working as a heel, even if he was essentially dragging the New Nexus behind him along the way. Thankfully they didn't get involved in this match and we had a clean finish, and one that actually came out of nowhere, with Punk using the top rope as a springboard and launching himself directly into the path of an RKO from the Viper. A stunning, scintillating conclusion to a very good contest.
Special Guest Referee Steve Austin: Jerry Lawler vs. Michael Cole ?
My oh my. And to think it started off so well. Why on earth Cole was booked to beat on Lawler for so long unopposed is honestly beyond me. The moment just before the match got underway when Lawler repeatedly smashed the mealymouthed Cole into the front wall of the “Cole Mine” after feigning a handshake was hilarious. It was a couple of minutes later that things unfortunately went down hill. The match suffered from Vincemcmahonbrethartitis in that it languished for many minutes before wrapping up. At last year's WrestleMania, Bret Hart beat the hell out of Vince McMahon, which was quite a sight to see, but also one that went on for far too long, essentially killing the match. The exact same thing happened here with Cole and Lawler. Had the attack on King been interrupted sooner, it could have actually been a pretty decent spectacle, especially with the Texas Rattlesnake involved.
No Holds Barred: The Undertaker vs. Triple H ?????
Five stars, you say? You're damn right. This bout was fantastic; a true professional wrestling clash of the titans; an epic and a match that absolutely needs to be seen by any fan of the business. It has to be one of the most dramatic bouts in WWE history and showcased just about everything you would want from such a one-on-one showdown, from multiple finishers, chair-shots, a broken table... you name it. Even the Cole Mine was utterly destroyed after Triple H charged right into the Deadman and the two went straight through it. Put this on the list of the greatest matches in WrestleMania history, as it was everything I could have hoped for and then some.
Six-Person Tag Team Match: Dolph Ziggler & LayCool vs. John Morrison, Trish Stratus & Nicole “Snookie” Polizzi ?
The third dud of the night and another short tag team match, although this one was a couple of minutes longer than the last. Why, just why was an entire match built around someone from Jersey Shore, one of the worst shows on television? The WWE were apparently in talks for Justin Bieber – the biggest musical star in the world today – to perform at the event (sing, not wrestle) and yet they had sent feelers out to... Snookie? That seems a bit unbalanced to me. I would have much rather seen Ziggler vs. Morrison in a singles match. That could have been excellent.
WWE Championship: The Miz (c) vs. John Cena ??
What a year it had been for The Miz leading up to WrestleMania 27. In 2010 he was opening the show in a tag match. Fast forward one year and he was in the main event. He has come quite a way. So, how would he fare in his first time closing 'Mania? Fairly well. He and Cena elected to start the bout off chain wrestling, before the contest spilled to the outside and eventually resulted in the double count-out finish after Cena Speared the champ on to concrete, actually giving him a concussion.
I had my fingers crossed that The Rock wouldn't pull a “swerve” and align himself with Cena to defeat The Miz, so you can imagine my delight when he appeared, restarted the match and nailed The Rock Bottom on him instead and helped the champion retain the gold, before wrapping the event up with The People's Elbow. This was a good way to end the show – a lot better than ending it on a count-out, anyway – and the crowd loved it. Of course, who could have foreseen that the main event of WrestleMania 28 next year would be decided the very next night on RAW when The Rock accepted Cena's challenge?
EXTRAS ???? A video package highlighting the history of Edge and Alberto Del Rio's rivalry, presumably produced to air before their match when it was originally scheduled for later in the card; a home video exclusive in the form of the pre-WrestleMania United States Championship Lumberjack match between Sheamus and Daniel Bryan, which then turned into a 22-man Battle Royal; 91 minutes of “legendary” WWE moments chosen by John Cena, which include the likes of the beginning of the Austin Era when Stone Cold Steve Austin defeated Shawn Michaels for the WWE Championship, D-Generation X's invasion of WCW, Chris Jericho's debut and TLC 2; plus the entire Hall of Fame ceremony featuring the complete inductions of “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, Bullet Bob Armstrong, Sunny, Abdullah the Butcher, The Road Warriors, Drew Carey and Shawn Michaels. WrestleMania is certainly the best event release of the year as far as bonus material goes.